Dispensing device



May 11,1926. 1,584,441

F. -H. ENGELKEN DISPENSING DEVICE Original Filed NOV. 28. 1921 INVENTOR. FEEDER/CK H. EA/G'ELAE/V ATTORNEY Patented M -iv 11, 1926' UNIFIED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

FREDERICK H. ENGELKEN, OF EAST PALATKA, FLORIDA.

DISPENSING DEVICE.

App ication filed November 28, 1921, Serial No. 518,180. Renewed October 3, 1925.

This invention relates generally to dispensing apparatus and particularly to devices which are adapted to hold a supply of objects or articles and to permit the removal of the articles from the holder only individually or one by one.

Vhile the invention is applicable for use in any situation where it is desirable to mdividually dispense articles of a size such as to be readily received between the fingers of the user, a preferred embodiment of the invention has been particularly designed for use with soap cakes or tablets such as shown in my pending application Serial No; 509,- 623. filed October 22, 1921.

The invention consists in the provision of a dispensing device including a container adapted to receive and hold a suitable supply of the articles to be dispensed in the form of a series or column, the container being formed to give access to one of the articles in the series in such a way that the article can be engaged on two opposite sides be tween the lingers of the operator and withdrawn laterally toward a third side for removal from its place in the container. Preferably the series or column of articles has a substantially vertically extending order with access provided for the removal of the lowermost article of the series. The means for supporting the column of articles in the container may conveniently consist of a tongue or supporting member for engagement with the lower face of the lowermost article and having a less width than that of an individual article to provide for the projection of the opposite lateral edges of the article beyond the opposite lateral edges of the supporting tongue for convenient engagement between the fingers of the operator. I find it desirable also to space the tongue beneath the lower end of the container by a distance substantially equal to the vertical thickness or depth of one of the individual articles to thereby prevent the removal of more than one article at a time from the container.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, in which a preferred em bodiment of the invention has been selected for illustration.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of a dispensing device including the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view from beneath of the device shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is illus trated a dispensing device including an article holder 5 and a supporting bracket 6 having a seat 7 in which the article holder or container 5 may be received and held. The bracket 6 is adapted to be attached to a wall or other vertical surface and is provided with a downwardly extending arm 8, having a laterally projecting tongue 9 arranged to extend beneath. the open lower end of the container tube 5.

It will be seen that the tongue 9 which projects beneath the lower open end of the container 5 serves to support the vertical series or column of articles 10 which may be soap cakes or tablets or any other objects having a similar general conformation. In order to provide for ready access to the lowermost cake or tablet 10 of the series the tongue 9 is formed with a less width than the width of the engaged tablet in order to provide for the lateral projection of the lateral edges of the tablet beyond the corresponding edges of the supporting tongue. It will be clear that this arrangement pro vides for the ready engagement of the op posite lateral edges of the tablet between the fingers of the user or operator and correspondingly facilitates the withdrawal of the tablet from its position on the supporting tongue.

It will also be seen that the supporting tongue 9 is positioned below the open end of the container tube 5 by a distance substantially the equivalent of the thickness of a tablet 10 to thereby prevent the withdrawal of more than one tablet at a time from the container. Preferably the container 9 is removably mounted in the holder ring 7 and rests when in seated position in the holdmg bracket or ring against a shoulder 11 formed on the adjacent surface of the clownwardly extending arm 8. The shoulder 11 may be located at a desired predetermined distance from the upper face of the tongue 9 to accord with the thickness of the tablets to be dispensed.

In order to further facilitate the removal of tablets, particularly of a relatively fragile nature, from the container, the lower end of the tube 5 may have a thinned formation as indicated at 12 in Figure 1. The facility of removal of the tablets may be further enhanced by the use of tablets with a lenticular or double convex formation to thereby provide a clear differentiation between the edges of one tablet and the edges of the next adjacent tablet.

The removable container tubes 5 may be formed of glass or of metal as desired and provided with closure members 13. If formed of metal, suitable sight openings may be provided to indicate when the container needs refilling. Preferably the sight openings are covered with transparent celluloid or the like to protect the contents of the tube. The length of the container tubes may be greatly increased over the length shown in the drawing to contain any desired number of tablets.

In operation the lowermosttablet which rests on the upper surface of the supporting tongue 9 is grasped between the thumb and finger of the user. the lateral extension of the margins of the tablet beyond the corresponding edges of the supporting tongue greatly facilitating this action. The tablet is then withdrawn over the free end of the tongue whereupon the next tablet comes to rest on the support in an obvious manner.

It will be seen that I have thus provided a dispensing device particularly adapted for use with soap tablets which obviates the wastage involved in the use of layer wrapped cakes not only because of the economy in the amount of soap actually included in each cake but also in the restriction placed upon the carrying away of the indvidual cakes which is brought about by the unwrapped and preferably relatively fragile condition of the cakes or tablets. The advantage of the device for dispensing individual soap cakes over known devices for dispensing soap in powder or liquid form is obvious. The dispensers of liquid soap are extremely wasteful and uneleanly in that the liquid soap cannot be readily controlled but runs off the users hands onto the surrounding objects. The dispensers for powdered soap are also unsatisfactory in that they also are wasteful and the powder tends to clog drain pipes and to be too lavishly used.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a dispensing device for small articles, a holder for a plurality of the articles,

said holder having an open lower end, a

supporting bracket having a seat for removably receiving the holder and through which the holder extends, said bracket having a laterally extending tongue beneath the lower open end of the holder, said tongue having a less width than the width of the individual articles and adapted to support the lowermost article at the central portion of its lowermost. surface, and said tongue being separated from the lower open end of the holder by a space substantially equal to the thickness of at least one of the articles to provide access to the opposite sides of the lowermost articles for removal toward an intermediate side.

2. In a dispensing device for relatively flat small articles, an upright tubular holder for a plurality of the articles, said holder having an open lower end, a supporting bracket having a seat for removably receiving the holder and through which the holder extends, said bracket having an article supportin member positioned beneath the lower en of the holder, said bracket being provided with a shoulder to hold the lower end of the holder spaced from the article supporting member by a space substantially equal to the thickness of one of the articles, said article supporting member havin a less width than the width of the individual articles and engaging the lower surface of the lowermost article to provide for graspin opposite sides of the article, the lower en of the holder having a downwardly converging formation on its outer surface, and a closure member for the upper end of the tubular holder.

FREDERICK H. ENGELKEN. 

